Today, May 22, marks one year since the fatal police shooting of Arnold Joseph — a 17-year-old fifth form student of the Entrepot Secondary School. Last year, Arnold and two other individuals were travelling in a vehicle in Castries, which, the police said, failed to obey a command by police officers to stop. The police stated that the “suspicious” vehicle ventured through one-way streets in the city, contravening traffic regulations. “During an attempt to apprehend the individuals, one individual was fatally shot, whilst a second was non-fatally injured. A third male was arrested without injury.”
That same month, Glen Gabriel, the driver of the vehicle, was charged for several traffic violations. The police also indicated that a 9mm firearm was recovered from the individuals. There have been no related charges.
Arnold was laid to rest in June 2019 following his funeral at the Church of the Holy Family in Jacmel. In tears, his former home-room teacher Ms. Sheralene Dosserie, remembered him: “Arnold was known by every teacher, every student, and every worker at the Entrepot Secondary School . . . Arnold was known as one of the sweetest students at the school, one who left absolutely no record of being rude or disrespectful.
“This gathering here should not have happened. We should all be celebrating Arnold on his graduation day. He was prematurely taken from us . . . Our Arnold, our Jonah, our Selector Jay is gone. He is no more. But his memories, they are forever etched in our hearts.”
Speaking with the STAR today, Arnold’s mother Joanna Joseph said that one year later, there are still unanswered questions, and no one has been held accountable for the tragedy that night. She desperately appealed for justice to be served for her son— who she described as a loving individual, who was loved by many. “Everyday has been challenging for me. My life has never been the same from the day I got the first message saying that they think it’s my son that got killed,” she said.
Deeply emotional, Joseph said that her life has changed from the day she laid eyes on her son’s lifeless body at Victoria Hospital, to when he was placed in a tomb and buried. Referring to the involved officers, the mother said: “I pray that they are suffering the same way that I am suffering, and not only me, but everybody else whose lives have been changed because you guys took Arnold away from us….I hope every tear that drops from our eyes, you guys are feeling some kind of pain.”
